The Ultimate Blacklist… Get Protection From Those Who Wind Up On It!

In a weird twist of events, many Americans find themselves more or less prepared to identify an email scam. Email scams can get pretty sneaky still, but most people have grown tired of the “I’m a prince please send me money” line…

The danger doesn’t die with the effectiveness of email scams, though. Phone scammers are hard at work to catch you by surprise with a shocking story (your father’s in a car accident and you must send money ASAP or he’ll be left to die!) or pathetic request (a “local” charity you’ve never heard of is requesting money for a “local” fundraiser).

“Phone scams are one of the big problems right now,” said Adam Doupe, associate director of the Center for Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics at Arizona State University. “They’re much more effective than email scams.”

It’s easy to see why. If you’re called by a recording and listen long enough, you’ll be threatened by officers of the law who say they’ll be at your front door at 2 p.m. the next afternoon if you don’t comply with their wishes to call back. (Admit it – even if you’re a perfect angel, upon hearing those words you immediately try to remember if you’ve done something wrong!) And if it’s an actual human being calling, you’re likely just curious enough to see what they want… but every second you stay on the line with them is another opportunity for them to convince you they’re legitimate. Many times, they’re successful.

Honestly, from a business standpoint, these types of scams are a little less of a threat; it’s unlikely the spammers will be able to digitally spoof the exact phone number of a friend or family member of a random CSR who picks up the call. That doesn’t mean these calls are any less of a nuisance, though. Don’t get us started on how much of a distraction they are…

So, in the spirit of putting an end to ridiculously annoying spam callers once and for all (because the alternative is that people will just stop answering their phones, and that doesn’t feel very realistic!!) we’d like to direct you to Callcap’s blacklist. It’s the ultimate list those spammers don’t want to be on, because it stops them in their tracks before they even get started. We block the call before it even hits your network. We won’t have it any other way.